Are Soft Factors What Makes The Corporate Culture Soft?
© Copyright Frank D. Kanu 2000-2008
Corporate culture and the age of a company are in direct relation to each other: The older the corporation the more developed and prominent the corporate culture. It develops with success but even more with failure. The corporate culture shows it real value when the company goes through a crisis:
“Companies that understand the importance of customers and employees and treat them accordingly, easily outperform those that don’t.”1
We have to distinguish between measurable (hard) and non-measurable (soft) factors. Does this definition make it any easier? One might think that stock quantities qualify as a hard factor; just until the moment we realize how accurate those numbers are when we do not find in the stock what should be still there. It is obvious that the boundaries are neither set in stone nor the same for every company. It is amazing how many try to compare what they have found to be factors at one company with the situation at another company. After all, the change of factors is more important then their classification.
Too often soft factors are seen as less important then the hard factors—after all, they are only “soft”… This opinion does not take into consideration that factors are seen different in different companies. Sometimes even within the same corporation.
Many managers are uncomfortable with talking about or considering soft factors: It is seen as weak.
1 As described from John Cotter and James Heskett, Corporate Culture and Performance (Free Press 1992) in their research of more then two hundred big companies over an 11-year period.
2 Stop Telling… Start Leading! p. 133
Technorati (All Links are external): age of a company anything but strong blame game bond boundaries change change of factors child classification companies compare considering soft factors corporate culture corporate culture and performance corporate culture influenced crisis customers different companies distinguish easily outperform employees employees help each other failure feelings feelings are a soft factor fun hard factors john cotter leader managers are uncomfortable measurable factors most important task non-measurable factors opinion outperform parent period quantities relation to seen as weak situation at another company soft factors soft factors are weak start leading stick and work together stock stock quantities stop telling take into consideration take into consideration that think treat them accordingly understand the importance of weak work workers business definitions leadership management motivation stop telling... start leading! teams
Corporate culture and the age of a company are in direct relation to each other: The older the corporation the more developed and prominent the corporate culture. It develops with success but even more with failure. The corporate culture shows it real value when the company goes through a crisis:
- Do employees stick and work together?
- Do employees help each other?
- Is the blame game the most important task at hand?
“Companies that understand the importance of customers and employees and treat them accordingly, easily outperform those that don’t.”1
“Many studies have shown that as many as one third of all employees consider fun to be an important part of the corporate culture.”2
But—what are soft and hard factors?
We have to distinguish between measurable (hard) and non-measurable (soft) factors. Does this definition make it any easier? One might think that stock quantities qualify as a hard factor; just until the moment we realize how accurate those numbers are when we do not find in the stock what should be still there. It is obvious that the boundaries are neither set in stone nor the same for every company. It is amazing how many try to compare what they have found to be factors at one company with the situation at another company. After all, the change of factors is more important then their classification.
Too often soft factors are seen as less important then the hard factors—after all, they are only “soft”… This opinion does not take into consideration that factors are seen different in different companies. Sometimes even within the same corporation.
Many managers are uncomfortable with talking about or considering soft factors: It is seen as weak.
Do you think soft factors are weak?
Think about it: Feelings are a soft factor, right? Do you think the bond between a parent and their child is anything but strong?How much is your corporate culture influenced by hard and soft factors?
By workers, management and leadership?
1 As described from John Cotter and James Heskett, Corporate Culture and Performance (Free Press 1992) in their research of more then two hundred big companies over an 11-year period.
2 Stop Telling… Start Leading! p. 133
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age of a company anything but strong blame game bond boundaries change change of factors child classification companies compare considering soft factors corporate culture corporate culture and performance corporate culture influenced crisis customers different companies distinguish easily outperform employees employees help each other failure feelings feelings are a soft factor fun hard factors john cotter leader managers are uncomfortable measurable factors most important task non-measurable factors opinion outperform parent period quantities relation to seen as weak situation at another company soft factors soft factors are weak start leading stick and work together stock stock quantities stop telling take into consideration take into consideration that think treat them accordingly understand the importance of weak work workersTechnorati (All Links are external): age of a company anything but strong blame game bond boundaries change change of factors child classification companies compare considering soft factors corporate culture corporate culture and performance corporate culture influenced crisis customers different companies distinguish easily outperform employees employees help each other failure feelings feelings are a soft factor fun hard factors john cotter leader managers are uncomfortable measurable factors most important task non-measurable factors opinion outperform parent period quantities relation to seen as weak situation at another company soft factors soft factors are weak start leading stick and work together stock stock quantities stop telling take into consideration take into consideration that think treat them accordingly understand the importance of weak work workers business definitions leadership management motivation stop telling... start leading! teams
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